SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS PRODUCE LOTS OF SMOKE BUT LITTLE SUBSTANCE.(Editorial)(Column)

How many special investigators can dance on the head of a president?

Sen. Al D'Amato's Whitewater committee issued its final report last week: an 800-page report by the committee's Republican majority that contains not a single conclusion that is not flatly contradicted by the accompanying 400-page dissent by the Democratic minority. This week, staffers for several other congressional committees are already readying investigations into the White House's request for FBI files, while Attorney General Janet Reno has ordered the FBI itself to make a ``complete and thorough investigation.''

Meanwhile, Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel appointed to make his own investigation of Whitewater, declined to get involved in the file controversy. But Starr is hiring more staff prosecutors every day for his inquiry, which seems to take in wider and wider territory. He says it will take many more months to complete the job.

Enough already.

Government and politics are inextricably intertwined. But seldom has the blatant partisanship and self-interestedness of today's politics been on clearer display, and seldom have politicians been so willing to sacrifice the governance of the nation on its altar.

D'Amato, et al., spent 13 months holding hearings, questioning dozens of White House staffers and former staffers, leaking hundreds of juicy tidbits and earning almost daily headlines. The final report is full of suggestion, inference and accusation. It contains lots of words and phrases such as ``evidence suggests,'' ``troubling pattern,'' and ``apparent, if not actual, conflict of interest.'' Like all the previous Whitewater probes, it could not find a single clearly illegal or unethical act by either the president or his wife. It concludes by opining that, despite that failure, more months of work by Starr's separate (and presumably more able) staff would ``certainly'' come up with something.

However many millions of dollars have been spent on this stuff so far, it's far too much. There is almost no chance any charge will ever be filed in a court of law against the Clintons. Even if one were to make it that far, and by some miracle a conviction obtained, what would be the result? Hillary resigns as first lady?

It is not, of course, about the law. It's about politics, and the presidency. If Clinton is demonized in the minds of those who already oppose his political positions, if political disagreements are turned into ideological wars, if our already fragmented nation is pulled further apart, that's just the price the Republicans are willing to have us all pay to give them the chance at moving back into the White House.

That's why the administration's explanation of how an incompetent lower-level staffer came to ask for FBI files, including those of 400 Republicans from the previous administration, received not a heartbeat's consideration from the majority party on the Hill. That's why public apologies from senior White House officials, and quickly thereafter, the president himself, were brushed aside so quickly, as were the dismissal of the official involved and the reorganization of his office. And that's why whatever the FBI turns up in its investigation of ``Filegate,'' as it was instantly labeled, will be rejected out of hand. We are inevitably in for another long, expensive, disruptive and divisive battle.

Al D'Amato was unable to reach his real goal - prolonging the Whitewater ride all the way to the November elections. Whoever on the Republican side ends up in charge of this one will surely manage the task.

Terry Anderson is a columnist with King Features Syndicate.

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SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS PRODUCE LOTS OF SMOKE BUT LITTLE SUBSTANCE.(Editorial)(Column)

How many special investigators can dance on the head of a president?

Sen. Al D'Amato's Whitewater committee issued its final report last week: an 800-page report by the committee's Republican majority that contains not a single conclusion that is not flatly contradicted by the accompanying 400-page dissent by the Democratic minority. This week, staffers for several other congressional committees are already readying investigations into the White House's request for FBI files, while Attorney General Janet Reno has ordered the FBI itself to make a ``complete and thorough investigation.''

Meanwhile, Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel appointed to make his own investigation of Whitewater, declined to get involved in the file controversy. But Starr is hiring more staff prosecutors every day for his inquiry, which seems to take in wider and wider territory. He says it will take many more months to complete the job.

Enough already.

Government and politics are inextricably intertwined. But seldom has the blatant partisanship and self-interestedness of today's politics been on clearer display, and seldom have politicians been so willing to sacrifice the governance of the nation on its altar.

D'Amato, et al., spent 13 months holding hearings, questioning dozens of White House staffers and former staffers, leaking hundreds of juicy tidbits and earning almost daily headlines. The final report is full of suggestion, inference and accusation. It contains lots of words and phrases such as ``evidence suggests,'' ``troubling pattern,'' and ``apparent, if not actual, conflict of interest.'' Like all the previous Whitewater probes, it could not find a single clearly illegal or unethical act by either the president or his wife. It concludes by opining that, despite that failure, more months of work by Starr's separate (and presumably more able) staff would ``certainly'' come up with something.

However many millions of dollars have been spent on this stuff so far, it's far too much. There is almost no chance any charge will ever be filed in a court of law against the Clintons. Even if one were to make it that far, and by some miracle a conviction obtained, what would be the result? Hillary resigns as first lady?

It is not, of course, about the law. It's about politics, and the presidency. If Clinton is demonized in the minds of those who already oppose his political positions, if political disagreements are turned into ideological wars, if our already fragmented nation is pulled further apart, that's just the price the Republicans are willing to have us all pay to give them the chance at moving back into the White House.

That's why the administration's explanation of how an incompetent lower-level staffer came to ask for FBI files, including those of 400 Republicans from the previous administration, received not a heartbeat's consideration from the majority party on the Hill. That's why public apologies from senior White House officials, and quickly thereafter, the president himself, were brushed aside so quickly, as were the dismissal of the official involved and the reorganization of his office. And that's why whatever the FBI turns up in its investigation of ``Filegate,'' as it was instantly labeled, will be rejected out of hand. We are inevitably in for another long, expensive, disruptive and divisive battle.

Al D'Amato was unable to reach his real goal - prolonging the Whitewater ride all the way to the November elections. Whoever on the Republican side ends up in charge of this one will surely manage the task.

Terry Anderson is a columnist with King Features Syndicate.

c

SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS PRODUCE LOTS OF SMOKE BUT LITTLE SUBSTANCE.(Editorial)(Column)

How many special investigators can dance on the head of a president?

Sen. Al D'Amato's Whitewater committee issued its final report last week: an 800-page report by the committee's Republican majority that contains not a single conclusion that is not flatly contradicted by the accompanying 400-page dissent by the Democratic minority. This week, staffers for several other congressional committees are already readying investigations into the White House's request for FBI files, while Attorney General Janet Reno has ordered the FBI itself to make a ``complete and thorough investigation.''

Meanwhile, Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel appointed to make his own investigation of Whitewater, declined to get involved in the file controversy. But Starr is hiring more staff prosecutors every day for his inquiry, which seems to take in wider and wider territory. He says it will take many more months to complete the job.

Enough already.

Government and politics are inextricably intertwined. But seldom has the blatant partisanship and self-interestedness of today's politics been on clearer display, and seldom have politicians been so willing to sacrifice the governance of the nation on its altar.

D'Amato, et al., spent 13 months holding hearings, questioning dozens of White House staffers and former staffers, leaking hundreds of juicy tidbits and earning almost daily headlines. The final report is full of suggestion, inference and accusation. It contains lots of words and phrases such as ``evidence suggests,'' ``troubling pattern,'' and ``apparent, if not actual, conflict of interest.'' Like all the previous Whitewater probes, it could not find a single clearly illegal or unethical act by either the president or his wife. It concludes by opining that, despite that failure, more months of work by Starr's separate (and presumably more able) staff would ``certainly'' come up with something.

However many millions of dollars have been spent on this stuff so far, it's far too much. There is almost no chance any charge will ever be filed in a court of law against the Clintons. Even if one were to make it that far, and by some miracle a conviction obtained, what would be the result? Hillary resigns as first lady?

It is not, of course, about the law. It's about politics, and the presidency. If Clinton is demonized in the minds of those who already oppose his political positions, if political disagreements are turned into ideological wars, if our already fragmented nation is pulled further apart, that's just the price the Republicans are willing to have us all pay to give them the chance at moving back into the White House.

That's why the administration's explanation of how an incompetent lower-level staffer came to ask for FBI files, including those of 400 Republicans from the previous administration, received not a heartbeat's consideration from the majority party on the Hill. That's why public apologies from senior White House officials, and quickly thereafter, the president himself, were brushed aside so quickly, as were the dismissal of the official involved and the reorganization of his office. And that's why whatever the FBI turns up in its investigation of ``Filegate,'' as it was instantly labeled, will be rejected out of hand. We are inevitably in for another long, expensive, disruptive and divisive battle.

Al D'Amato was unable to reach his real goal - prolonging the Whitewater ride all the way to the November elections. Whoever on the Republican side ends up in charge of this one will surely manage the task.

Terry Anderson is a columnist with King Features Syndicate.

c

SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS PRODUCE LOTS OF SMOKE BUT LITTLE SUBSTANCE.(Editorial)(Column)

How many special investigators can dance on the head of a president?

Sen. Al D'Amato's Whitewater committee issued its final report last week: an 800-page report by the committee's Republican majority that contains not a single conclusion that is not flatly contradicted by the accompanying 400-page dissent by the Democratic minority. This week, staffers for several other congressional committees are already readying investigations into the White House's request for FBI files, while Attorney General Janet Reno has ordered the FBI itself to make a ``complete and thorough investigation.''

Meanwhile, Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel appointed to make his own investigation of Whitewater, declined to get involved in the file controversy. But Starr is hiring more staff prosecutors every day for his inquiry, which seems to take in wider and wider territory. He says it will take many more months to complete the job.

Enough already.

Government and politics are inextricably intertwined. But seldom has the blatant partisanship and self-interestedness of today's politics been on clearer display, and seldom have politicians been so willing to sacrifice the governance of the nation on its altar.

D'Amato, et al., spent 13 months holding hearings, questioning dozens of White House staffers and former staffers, leaking hundreds of juicy tidbits and earning almost daily headlines. The final report is full of suggestion, inference and accusation. It contains lots of words and phrases such as ``evidence suggests,'' ``troubling pattern,'' and ``apparent, if not actual, conflict of interest.'' Like all the previous Whitewater probes, it could not find a single clearly illegal or unethical act by either the president or his wife. It concludes by opining that, despite that failure, more months of work by Starr's separate (and presumably more able) staff would ``certainly'' come up with something.

However many millions of dollars have been spent on this stuff so far, it's far too much. There is almost no chance any charge will ever be filed in a court of law against the Clintons. Even if one were to make it that far, and by some miracle a conviction obtained, what would be the result? Hillary resigns as first lady?

It is not, of course, about the law. It's about politics, and the presidency. If Clinton is demonized in the minds of those who already oppose his political positions, if political disagreements are turned into ideological wars, if our already fragmented nation is pulled further apart, that's just the price the Republicans are willing to have us all pay to give them the chance at moving back into the White House.

That's why the administration's explanation of how an incompetent lower-level staffer came to ask for FBI files, including those of 400 Republicans from the previous administration, received not a heartbeat's consideration from the majority party on the Hill. That's why public apologies from senior White House officials, and quickly thereafter, the president himself, were brushed aside so quickly, as were the dismissal of the official involved and the reorganization of his office. And that's why whatever the FBI turns up in its investigation of ``Filegate,'' as it was instantly labeled, will be rejected out of hand. We are inevitably in for another long, expensive, disruptive and divisive battle.

Al D'Amato was unable to reach his real goal - prolonging the Whitewater ride all the way to the November elections. Whoever on the Republican side ends up in charge of this one will surely manage the task.

Terry Anderson is a columnist with King Features Syndicate.

c